Centaurs
Websites:
https://thecentaurs.com/
Origin:
Vancouver, British Columbia, 🇨🇦
Biography:
The Centaurs on stage at the Showboat, 1965
THE CENTAURS STORY
Hugh Reilly grew up in Cranbrook, British Columbia, and came to Vancouver to attend University. He had taken classical music lessons as a child, but was more interested in playing the guitar. While attending the University of British Columbia in 1964, he ran into Don Wylie, an old friend from his hometown. Don was a singer and guitar player looking to start up a band. Together they enlisted sax player Ross Barrett, Bob Gannon on bass (later Rick Enns), and a young drummer, John Gedak. They called themselves The Rogues.
John grew up in Richmond, BC, and fell in love with the drums at a young age. The Rogues played a handful of live shows including a few at The Bunkhouse on Davie Street, run by Les Stork. However, the chemistry of the band just wasn’t working, and they split up.
In early 1965, John and Hugh re-formed the group as The Centaurs along with Don Wylie (guitar), Al West (bass), and Louis Pitre (keyboards).
The Centaurs’ first concert was on February 5, 1965, at the Renfrew Park Teen Club, backing up Toronto singer Joey Preston, who was on tour promoting his new record Pretty Little Girl on ATCA records. Just after this performance, Don left the group and singer Ron Williams joined, having just moved to Vancouver from Saskatoon.
Every day they would practice religiously for many hours in John’s basement. His parents were very supportive of the band and John claims they couldn’t have done it without them.
All the band members took great pride in their wardrobe, dressing in the latest ‘mod’ styles, with black turtle necks and matching copper tone jackets.
Their first regular concerts were held at Gassy Jack’s Discotheque in Richmond, a newly opened dance club run by brothers Jeff and Peter Barnett. The Centaurs played there on Fridays and Saturdays, and the gracious owners also allowed them to practice there during the week.
They purchased a Volkswagen van for touring, crudely painted with grey primer. That spring, they embarked on a big tour that lasted through the summer, across British Columbia and into the Okanagan (BC interior) to places like Penticton, Enderby, Armstrong, Salmon Arm, the Caribou region, and up north to Williams Lake and Prince George. In the last week of August, they played in a fierce competition at a massive 6-day Battle of the Bands in Armstrong, with dozens of other bands.
With their popularity growing rapidly, the band quickly became hot and in demand at Vancouver's top clubs and venues such as The Grooveyard and Oil Can Harry's, as well as regular bookings at Club a-go-go in Boundary Bay just outside the city. Douglas Miller was a part owner of The Grooveyard and was immediately impressed with them. He said he’d never seen a local group get so much applause before. He became their manager and booked them through Les Vogt's Jaguar Enterprises, who handled most of the big acts in town. Vancouver was a heavy R&B town at that time, and Les's agency catered mostly to that style, which often meant fewer bookings for The Centaurs.
Ed Karyl at CFUN Radio offered them some promotional concerts through the station. One of them was at the Cascades Drive-in as part of a promotion for the movie The Girls On The Beach, released in May 1965, with The Centaurs opening for the film. They also played at The Kitsilano Showboat (an outdoor stage resembling a boat on the beach) to a crowd so big that when Al West arrived late, he couldn't get through the massive crowd, so he had to come in by boat in order to reach the stage!
The Centaurs' Evolving Style
The Centaurs kept up with fashion, gradually progressing into a more stylish and colorful wardrobe. Mad Mel, a brief CFUN radio jock reputed for his friendship with The Beatles, came to Vancouver from down under and opened a store called The Bad Boys Ragge Shoppe, which sold specialty clothing geared towards the mod crowd.
John was a frequent visitor and bought a unique jacket, of which only two were ever made—James Brown bought the other one when he was in town. Ron also bought custom red velvet corduroy jumpsuits, which he wore on stage.
It had become obvious to the group that if they wanted to make it big, they would have to leave town. Vancouver seemed to be stuck in its groove, with the local scene focused mainly on R&B acts, and they felt they weren't getting the attention they needed.
They had to make a bold move and considered going to the United States, but there was always the risk of being drafted. John had family and connections in Germany, so instead, they decided to plan a German tour for the fall of 1966.
A lot of big changes were beginning to unfold in Vancouver in 1966, as it transitioned into the psychedelic scene. A young entrepreneur named Jerry Kruz began booking concerts under the moniker of The Afterthought and seemed to have the insight and vision ahead of others as to what was happening.
He had seen the San Francisco scene and brought The Grateful Dead and Country Joe & The Fish to Vancouver in their infancy, and it wasn’t long before things really started to take off. The Centaurs were a big part of the scene, and they were already ahead of their time with both their music and style.
The Centaurs’ Live Performances and Challenges
On February 11, 1966, The Centaurs played the Teen Town A-Go-Go Dance at the Peach Bowl in the Okanagan. Although it was a regular annual event, this one in particular was one of the largest attended dances, drawing a record crowd of over 1,400 people.
During their performance, Louis Pitre suddenly collapsed on stage and was rushed to the hospital, where it was determined that he had a heart condition. He was ordered to stay away from any excitement, resulting in his sudden departure from the band. He was replaced by Bob Brown, a neighbor and friend of theirs who was at university at the time, but left to join the band.
First Afterthought Concerts & Studio Recordings
On March 11, 1966, The Centaurs played at the very first Afterthought concert, held by Jerry Kruz at the Scottish Auditorium, and again on May 20th at the Pender Auditorium.
That summer, they went to Robin Spurgin’s recording studio on Broadway, the top one in town, where they cut a bunch of songs as a sample of their best performances in order to make a demo record to send ahead to their agency in Germany. A few dozen demo discs were sent off immediately to be distributed to clubs for potential bookings.
Television Appearance & Opening for The Beach Boys
On August 14, 1966, The Centaurs appeared on a Channel 8 TV special filmed at The Cave supper club along with other bands.
On August 18th, they opened for The Beach Boys with Chad and Jeremy at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
On September 23rd, they played to a full house at the Killarney Community Centre, and on October 1st, they played to a sold-out crowd at the University of British Columbia’s War Memorial Stadium, along with The Shockers and Jayson Hoover and the Epics.
Final Vancouver Performance & Tour Preparation
Their final Vancouver performance was to be on October 14th at The Afterthought at the Kits Theatre, where they shared the stage with The Blacksnake Blues Band.
In preparation for their trip, they had bought a brand new Ford Econoline extended van and even got a roadie – Don Moss, a friend of theirs who drove the van and loaded the gear.
A few days later, the band left on their trek across Canada to Montreal, where they would board the ship to Holland, and from there over to Germany. Along the way, they stopped in Saskatchewan to play at The Esquire Club on October 21, sharing the stage with a Toronto group called The Knack.
This would be The Centaurs’ last performance on Canadian soil.
The Voyage to Europe
On November 19, their van and all their gear were loaded aboard the RMS Carmania steamship for the voyage across the Atlantic, where an unknown and exciting world awaited them.
They had brought along a lot of high-end gear and didn’t want it left down in the hold, so they stacked it in a bunk in one of the two cabins they shared.
During the voyage, the Captain heard there was a band on board and asked them if they would play—so they did, every night.
Ironically, some of their Vancouver fans just happened to be on board. The ship’s bar closed early each night, but they discovered they could fill up the tables with as much beer as they could prior to last call, to last them through the night.
Arrival in Holland & Unexpected Trouble
Eight days later, the ship docked in Rotterdam, Holland.
Suddenly, a problem arose that they hadn’t anticipated: The Dutch authorities seized their van in lieu of a cash bond, to guarantee they would leave the country following their tour.
Hugh had to wire his parents to surrender his savings bonds ($1800) in order to get the van back.
First European Gig: A Lucky Break
Their hotel was located on the main strip in Rotterdam, and that night John was nervous and couldn’t sleep because of all the excitement and the time change.
So he went for a walk alone, which wasn’t the smartest thing to do in a foreign port city in the middle of the night.
He walked down the street and heard music coming from a club, so he went in. He found the club manager, Hans Van Oosterhaut, and told him all about The Centaurs.
Hans was excited that they had come all the way from Canada and wanted to hear them play.
The next day, Hans invited them to perform for Jack Sempf’s booking agency at the casino in Scheveningen, a suburb of The Hague and a popular beach resort area on the western coast.
The casino was a hot spot for rock bands and hosted many top British bands like The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Animals, Small Faces, etc.
It was also home base for The Golden Earrings, one of Holland’s top bands. Jack was immediately impressed and signed them.
Opening for The Troggs & Rising Fame
Their very first booking was at the casino opening for The Troggs!
This really put them on the map and set them up for a successful tour of Holland.
Germany, their original destination, would have to wait, as Holland got to them first.
Ironically, they would discover that Holland was much more of a happening place at that time anyway.
They soon became regulars at one of the hottest venues, The T-Smurf Club in Amsterdam—Pink Floyd had just played there a week earlier.
The band’s popularity soared, and they were often billed as:
“The Beatles of Canada”
“Canada’s top group”
Rising Fame in the Netherlands
They were featured in prominent magazines and newspapers, and had a rapidly growing fan club.
Polydor got wind of the band and offered them a recording contract, releasing a single with a picture sleeve for the songs:
"Kicks"
"Be Happy"
Flight to Lowlands Paradise Festival
The Centaurs were also invited to perform at one of the very first Dutch pop festivals in Utrecht, called Flight to Lowlands Paradise.
At the time, it was small, but it would grow the following year to over 18,000 people in attendance.
Work Visa Trouble & Forced Departure from Holland
Then, suddenly, they were informed by the Dutch government that their work visas had expired, and they would have to leave the country.
The Dutch media went on the defensive, asking people to write and appeal to the Dutch princess to intervene on behalf of the group in order to help them stay in Holland.
Unfortunately, it didn’t work, and the band left for Germany, but with a special allowance to return to Holland for recording purposes only.
Struggles in Germany
Things were a lot different in Germany.
Their first gig was at the now-famous Star Club in Hamburg, where The Beatles had gotten their start several years earlier.
However, the club had been struggling to stay afloat ever since, as there wasn’t much of a scene there anymore.
Exhausting Performances in Frankfurt
In Frankfurt, they played at the K-52 club for several weeks of all-nighters—12-hour sets, with one hour on, one hour off, alternating with a second band.
This type of grind work soon began to take its toll on them, and Ron’s voice started to go from the strain of performing 6 nights a week.
They played briefly at the Riviera Waldorf before heading further south to stay at a guest house (a pub with room and board).
At the Kitzingen Coliseum, they played a show filled with US soldiers, who went crazy for the band.
Upstairs at the pub where they were staying, there was an old dance hall that had probably not been used since WWII.
They got permission to clean it up and turn it into a concert venue, and they stayed and played shows there for about a month.
Band Members Return to Canada
By this time, some of the band members were getting homesick and wanted to return to Canada.
John and Hugh stayed, while the rest of the band returned home. Hugh soon followed.
John’s New Journey in Germany
John joined a well-known German band called The Sonnys, who were booked solid for the next year.
He stayed with them for about six months, playing in almost every city across Bavaria.
He was also attending a music conservatory in Würzburg, honing his drumming skills with a famous teacher recommended by William F. Ludwig Jr..
Life After The Centaurs
When John returned to Canada, he found that everybody had gone in different directions.
He went into business, opening The Picture Show art gallery chain, which grew to over 30 stores across Canada.
A few years later, he successfully formed the Get-Away van company with his family and also became president of the Canadian RV Association (CRVA).
Hugh’s New Band
Hugh formed a group with Bob Brown and Ron Williams called The Riley-Brown Band, and worked as a computer operations manager.
Reunion at Expo 86
During Expo 86, a massive reunion of 1960s Vancouver bands took place at Club Soda, and The Centaurs re-formed to play with all the original members.
Unfortunately, at the last minute, Al West was called away to recover wreckage from the Challenger space shuttle disaster in Florida, as he worked for one of the biggest submersible companies in the world.
The band had hoped to continue playing together after the reunion, but at that time, everybody was too busy with their own lives, and it just didn’t happen.
Remembering Band Members
Ron Williams moved to Williams Lake and sadly passed away in 2015 in a tragic car accident.
Louis Pitre played piano on cruise ships for many years and also did voice-over work. Unfortunately, he passed away a few years ago.
Reviving The Centaurs
In 2010, John and Hugh once again revived The Centaurs along with Chad Thorp from The Nocturnals, as well as various singers and bass players.
They enjoyed playing around town with many fans and friends, and they hope to play together again soon.
Bob Brown is still active in the music industry in the Vancouver area.
Al West lives on Vancouver Island with his wife, playing jazz with his string bass and performing with local bands.
John remains very active, traveling and playing with different bands, as well as teaching drum lessons to young students.
Hugh enjoys a much quieter life, spending time with his family and friends.
-Jamie Anstey, April 2018
